Police skilled a lively shooter situation at the Westgate Entertainment District shopping mall in Glendale, Arizona, at 7:25 p.m. civil time on Wednesday night. Shortly after arriving on the scene, the Glendale Police took the suspected shooter, identified by his mother as Armando ‘Junior’ Hernandez, into custody.
Hernandez, 20, is from Peoria, which as about four miles from Glendale. While Hernandez’s mother has identified her son because the alleged suspect involved within the shooting which left three injured victims, one in critical care, police haven’t yet verified this.
Here’s what you would like to understand about Armando “Junior” Hernandez:
1. A Video Purporting to possess Been Posted on Snapchat by the Shooter Was Shared On Social Media
A disturbing video shared on social media under the Snapchat handle Arizona Man was shared on May 20, by a person who said his name was Armando Junior Hernandez. After flashing video of an extended gun, he said from the seat in his vehicle, “Hello, I’m getting to be the shooter of Westgate 2020. this is often to urge back at mean society. So let’s get this done.”
After putting on a camo mask , the video then shows the shooter firing rounds off shots while entering the Westage Entertainment District. Suddenly, the video cuts to a lady lying down by the front left wheel of her car, possibly injured, and therefore the shooter said, “Society is bull****.”
The woman pleads in response, “I don’t have anything to try to to with that!” and “You already shot me, dude!”
Police haven’t confirmed the authenticity of the video. A screen recording of the footage was shared on Twitter by a user who follows the person purporting to be the gunman.
2. Hernandez Was Taken Into Custody Alive
During the primary press briefing following the shooting, Glendale Police said that they were ready to arrest the alleged suspect inside the Westgate area and have him into custody for questioning.
A witness, Juan Lopez, told 12 News reporter Joe Dana that he saw a brief guy walking with a rifle within the middle of Westgate. “He let two shots off then he was walking, then when he hit the corner, he just started running.”
Lopez added that it had been hard to inform if the suspect was trying to find more people to shoot while he ran away.
3. Hernandez’s Motive for the Shooting Remains Unknown
While police haven’t yet officially identified Hernandez because the suspect, his mother told 12 News reporter Mitch Carr, “I haven’t any idea why he did this.”
His mother said the graduated from Raymond Kellis highschool which is found in Glendale.
4.Senator Martin Quezada Witnessed the Westgate Shooting face to face
Arizona senator Martin Quezada was at the Westgate Entertainment District, which is one among the Valley’s hottest destinations, at the time of the incident. The Arizona senator tweeted, “I just witnessed an armed terrorist with an AR-15 increase Westgate. There are multiple victims.”
Quezada has served within the state senate representing District 29 since 2015 and previously worked five years as a search analyst and policy advisor to the Democratic caucus within the Arizona State Senate. He said during a second tweet on Wednesday night, “I saw 2 victims with my very own eyes. unsure what percentage others I saw the shooter. Being told to not say anything about details ’til I speak to police. I’m ok. many surprised people.”
5. Video from the Westgate Entertainment District Shows People Running In Fear [WARNING: EXPLICIT LANGUAGE]
In a video shared on Twitter from outside the mall area, numerous rounds of gunfire are often heard going off within the background. A Westgate Mall employee performing at the time of the shooting described things on Twitter. She said, “I’m here at work with a coworker hiding within the back of our studio. If anyone sees anything happening within the news PLEASE let me know! Hoping to urge through all of this.”
The Westgate Entertainment District was bought by GoDaddy founder Bob Parson in 2018. Amber Liptai, a spokeswoman for Parsons’ parent company BIG YAM, released the subsequent statement to USA Today: “We are deeply troubled by this incident and our thoughts and prayers leave to the victims and their families. Westgate will still work closely with the Glendale local department and in-house security to best make sure the safety of our customers, tenants, and residents.”